EAST LANSING -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Friday he wanted retired forward Delvon Roe to play against Ohio State in a nostalgic return to the court on Senior Day, but the school has determined that NCAA eligibility rules will not allow for Roe to dress for the game.

From cream cheese on bagels to this, the NCAA has some odd rules.

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So, Wisconsin can play a pro baseball player at QB, but wrong for MSU to play injured cager and actor on senior night?

Toughest: Hall of Fame Tip-Off (Nov. 19-20) Next-toughest: at Boston College (Nov. 30), Ole Miss (Dec. 4), at Duquesne (Dec. 10) The rest: Hartford (Nov. 12), Radford (Nov. 14), Long Island (Nov. 16), Youngstown State (Nov. 23), Lafayette (Dec. 7), Mount St. Mary's (Dec. 18), Cornell (Dec. 21) Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- At first glance, it doesn't look like much, but that's before you realize the rebuilding Nittany Lions -- with their first-year head coach, Patrick Chambers, and distinct lack of former four-year star Talor Battle -- will face Kentucky in the first round of the Hall of Fame tournament at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena. That one could get ugly. Then it's either Old Dominion or South Florida on day two. A visit to rebuilding BC could just be ugly, period, while a short trip to play a better-than-you-think Duquesne team is tricky. This schedule could be tougher, sure. But for this team, this season, it might already be tougher than required.

Iowa has the easiest B10 schedule with a grade of 2 and Wisconsin has the toughest with a grade of 10.

“This is where I wanted to be,” he said Thursday by phone. “I enjoy getting back on the floor, I enjoy the stuff that basketball coaches do. Not the development things, not the going around and speaking. I can focus on my team.

“I’m looking at yachts coming into the harbor right now. It’s a beautiful place. I don’t regret the move at all.”

Not sure if this is appropriate, but all misc. Big Ten basketball news can go here. Commitments, transfers, coaching, etc. Big news will probably get its own thread, but this can be for all the smaller stuff. No one likes an uninformed fan.

Hearing that Fred Hill (ex-Rutgers coach) will be some type of assistant at Northwestern. I'm inferring the assistant part because the source didn't specify the position, but Carmody signed that extension and is the ED of Northwestern.

If this happens, will be interesting to see Hill as an assistant, but I think it will be an overall good hire. Above average recruiter. Brought first McDonalds AA in Rutgers history. Also recruited 4 other 4 star recruits (Rivals) during his tenure (4 seasons). Stars aren't everything, but that has to be commended.

Something crucial to track until tip off is Scootie Randall’s status. The junior wing missed Temple’s last five games with a fractured right foot. There have been reports that he attempted to warm up against Richmond and limped off the court, and there are also reports that he has been spotted on campus with no visible limp. Randall said he is ready to play against Penn State, but coach Fran Dunphy has not tipped his cards either way. What is definite is that Randall was averaging 11PPG and 5RPG on the season, he can be a difference maker on both ends of the court.Temple will be playing without junior forward Michael Eric (7PPG, 6RPG, 1.6BPG) due to a fractured right patella which forced Eric to miss the final eight games and the rest of the season. I saw Temple play Seton Hall in person earlier this season and Eric was the best forward on the court, despite not putting up the best numbers. This is the same court that had Lavoy Allen and Herb Pope on it – two household names. If Temple is to play without Randall and Eric, that is 18PPG/11RPG/3.2BPG that they are missing, not to mention other abilities that don’t show up in the box score.

One player that had to be accounted for last season as guard Juan Fernandez. Then a sophomore, Fernandez was shooting at a 45% clip from beyond the arc. This season? Only 32% on smaller volume of shots. I’ve only seen a few Temple games, but could it be due to Fran Dunphy putting Fernandez on the opponent’s best guard. He vowed to have Fernandez guard Talor Battle today.

Although Fernandez is going through a junior slump, it apparently hasn’t affected the Owls’ that much. Why? Because junior Ramone Moore and sophomore Khalif Wyatt have stepped up big time. The two players are averaging 7 and 10 more PPG than they did last season, respectively. Lavoy Allen is still the usual double-double machine in the paint, which is worth noting, but that was expected.

While Temple has a formidable inside game, they also have several capable outside shooters. Ramone Moore, Scootie Randall, Juan Fernandez and Khalif Wyatt have all attempted more than 100 three pointers this season and are all capable of knocking them down. Wyatt seems to be the most dangerous (45-106, 42.5%). Penn State has had trouble guarding and closing out on three point shooters this season, so this is a major concern.

Overall, Temple plays a solid team game, a type of game that is seen often in the Big Ten. This might bode well for Penn State since they are not facing a Louisville or a Belmont. Temple will play strong, physical defense, slow the game down and rebound. Temple is 243rd in adjusted tempo while Penn State is 341st. That means that Temple likes to play slow, but Penn State is one of the slowest teams in the country, only behind Cal Poly, Stephan F. Austin, Denver and Wisconsin.